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Ladakh’s Statehood Demand and the Sixth Schedule Debate
Context: The ongoing hunger strike by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has reignited the debate over statehood and Sixth Schedule protections for Ladakh, a region critical both for its fragile ecosystem and its strategic location on the India-China border.
What is the Sixth Schedule?
- The Sixth Schedule (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) provides autonomous administrative and legislative powers to tribal-dominated areas through Autonomous District Councils (ADCs). These councils can make laws on land, forest, customs, and local governance, thereby safeguarding indigenous rights.
What distinguishes a Union Territory from a State?
- State: Has an elected legislature and government, with legislative and administrative autonomy under the State List and Concurrent List (Seventh Schedule). The Governor is a constitutional head, while the Chief Minister leads governance.
- Union Territory (UT): Directly administered by the President through a Lieutenant Governor/Administrator. Only a few UTs like Delhi and Puducherry have legislatures, but their powers are limited.
- Ladakh: Post-2019 reorganisation, Ladakh is a UT without legislature, making it more dependent on the Union Government for decisions on land, jobs, and resources.
- Currently, this provision applies to 10 autonomous councils across Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura.
- The Economic Survey 2016–17 highlighted that Sixth Schedule institutions enhance participatory governance in tribal areas and balance development with cultural preservation.
Why are demands for autonomy and protection of local interests significant for Ladakh?
- Demographic Safeguards: With a population of barely 3 lakh (Census 2011), Ladakh fears demographic changes due to outside land ownership and employment migration.
- Environmental Fragility: Ladakh’s cold desert ecosystem is vulnerable to unregulated industrialisation and tourism.
- Cultural Identity: Ladakh’s unique Buddhist and tribal heritage requires institutional protection, similar to the safeguards enjoyed by North-Eastern tribal communities under the Sixth Schedule.
- Political Representation: Absence of a legislature leaves local bodies like the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) as the only voices—creating democratic deficit concerns.
What are the potential challenges in conferring statehood to Ladakh?
- Strategic Sensitivity: Ladakh shares borders with China (LAC) and Pakistan (LoC). Security imperatives may limit autonomy, as the Union prefers tighter control.
- Administrative Viability: With limited population and revenue base, sustaining a state bureaucracy may strain central resources. The Economic Survey 2020–21 emphasised fiscal prudence in smaller states/UTs with weak revenue bases.
- Precedent Concerns: Granting statehood to Ladakh could encourage similar demands from other UTs like Andaman & Nicobar Islands or Lakshadweep, complicating federal balance.
- Centre–State Relations: Extending Sixth Schedule to Ladakh requires constitutional amendment, needing political consensus, which is difficult given divergent regional and national security concerns.
